Torquay
Encyclopedia
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area
of Torbay
and ceremonial county of Devon
, England. It lies 22 miles (35 km) south of Exeter
along the A380
on the north of Torbay
, 38 miles (61 km) north-east of Plymouth
and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton
on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the 2001 UK Census made it the third largest settlement in Devon
. If the Torbay
area, of which Torquay forms a third, were to be recognised as a city, it would rank as the 45th largest city in the United Kingdom
with a population only slightly less than that of Brighton
, which was granted city status in 2000. During the peak summer season the resort's population swells to around 200,000.
The town's economy was initially based upon fishing and agriculture as in the case of Brixham
across Torbay, but in the early 19th century the town began to develop into a fashionable seaside resort
, initially frequented by members of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars
while the Royal Navy
anchored in the bay and later by the crème de la crème of Victorian
society as the town's fame spread. Renowned for its healthful climate, the town earned the nickname of the English Riviera and favourable comparisons to Montpellier
.
Torquay was the home of the writer Agatha Christie
, who lived most of her life there. The town contains an "Agatha Christie Mile", a tour with plaques, dedicated to her life and work.
Torquay's name originates in its being the quay of the ancient village of Torre. In turn, Torre takes its name from the tor, the extensively quarried remains of which can be seen by the town's Tor Hill Road.
times. Hand axe
s found in Kents Cavern date to, and a maxilla
fragment known as Kents Cavern 4 may be the oldest example of a modern human in Europe, dating back to 37,000–40,000 years ago.
Roman
soldiers are known to have visited Torquay during the period when Britain was a part of the Roman Empire
, leaving offerings at a curious rock formation in Kent's Cavern
, known as "The Face". No evidence has been found of Roman settlement in the town.
The first major building in Torquay was Torre Abbey
, a Premonstratensian
monastery
founded in 1196. Torquay remained a minor settlement until the Napoleonic wars
, when Torbay was used as a sheltered anchorage by the Channel Fleet
, and relatives of officers often visited Torquay. The mild climate attracted many visitors who considered the town a convalescence retreat where they could recover from illness away from the cold winters of more northerly or easterly locations. The population of Torquay grew rapidly from 838 in 1801, to 11,474 in 1851.
[File:Torquay19c.jpg|left|thumb|Torquay, 1842]]
The second phase in the expansion of Torquay began when Torre railway station
was opened on 18 December 1848. The improved transport connections resulted in rapid growth at the expense of nearby towns not on Isambard Kingdom Brunel
's railways. The more central Torquay railway station
was opened on 2 August 1859. After the growth of the preceding decades, Torquay was granted borough
status in 1872. Previously regarded as a convalescence retreat, Torquay began to encourage healthy visitors, and 1902 saw the first advertising campaign to market Torquay to summer tourists.
Torquay Tramways
operated electric street tram
s from 1907. They were initially powered by the unusual Dolter stud-contact electrification so as not to disfigure the town with overhead wires, but in 1911 was converted to more conventional overhead-line supply. The line was extended into Paignton in 1911 but the network was closed in 1934.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution
's Torquay Lifeboat Station
was at the Ladies Bathing Cove from 1876 until 1923. A second lifeboat was kept at the harbour from 1917 until 1928. Torquay was regarded as a "Spa Town" after the Marine Spa was built on Beacon Hill near the harbour. Originally called the "Bath Saloons complex", it had an open air tide filled swimming bath. The four stone arches exist to this day. The complex was opened in 1853 after Beacon Hill headland was dynamited to make space for it. Charles Dickens
was said to have made readings there. In the 1900s a ballroom and a new sea water filled swimming pool were built. The Marine Spa, provided various therapies such as seaweed baths, needle, doche showers, hot and cold water baths and electric shock treatment. Bands such as Ivy Benson played at Marine Spa ballroom, and the place was regularly visited by Edward Heath
.
During World War I
, military hospitals were sited in Torquay – many survivors from the Battle of Gallipoli
recuperated in the town – and it was used as a troop staging area. In September 1915 King George V
and Queen Mary
visited. After the war the Great Western Railway
launched an advertising campaign to attract tourists, and this helped the town grow to a major south coast resort.
During World War II
Torquay was regarded as safer than the towns of South East England
, and played host to evacuees
from the London] area, the town did however suffer minor bomb damage during the war, mainly from planes dumping excess loads after participating in the Plymouth Blitz
. The last air raid on Torquay took place on 29 May 1944 shortly before the D-Day
landings in June and in the months leading up to D-Day thousands of US Army personnel arrived with the 3204th Quartermaster Service Company billet
ed in Chelston and Cockington
. During Operation Overlord
more than 23,000 men of the American 4th Infantry Division departed Torquay for Utah Beach
.
The water sport events of the 1948 Summer Olympics
were held in Torquay, and the Olympic flame
brought from London
to Torre Abbey Gardens. Although it will not host any Olympic events for the 2012 Summer Olympics
, with the sailing taking place in Weymouth, Torbay is looking to host teams as a preparation camp.
After World War II several private high-rise apartment blocks were constructed above the rock walk and harbour, giving the area a Monte Carlo
feel.
In 1971, after a tragedy, the Marine Spa was demolished to make way for the ill-fated Coral Island leisure complex. This was characterised by its concrete arches on its uppermost floor and sunbathing decks like those of a cruise liner. The site featured a hexagonal outdoor plunge pool, surrounded by sunbathing terraces leading down to Beacon Cove beach. Inside the building were several lounges, a restaurant and a nightclub within the arches of the ancient swimming bath. All levels were served by a hydraulic passenger lift. Coral Island opened in 1977 and closed in 1988. The complex was demolished in 1997, 20 years after its construction. The site remained derelict until 2002 when the Living Coasts Penguin park was built there.
In the late 1980s Fleet Street was rebuilt as the Fleetwalk shopping mall, which has street level shops and an upper level shopping deck. The long curved building, which follows the street, is magnolia coloured and in mock Victorian style. In the late 1990s and early 2000s new pubs and night clubs opened around the harbour, leading to an increase in binge drinking, however in recent years a better police presence and responsible drinks promotions have improved the situation.
Since World War II, the nature of tourism in the United Kingdom has changed significantly. Increasing wealth has meant that holidays abroad are now commonplace, and coastal towns are now more popular for short stays as part of a touring holiday. Recently Torquay has seen an increase in foreign visitors, and is a major destination for foreign exchange students.
Torquay is part of Torbay
, an administrative area, created in 1968 as a Borough, from the amalgamation of the Boroughs of Torquay, Paignton
and Brixham
. Historically part of the county of Devon
, Torbay was made a unitary authority
on 1 April 1998 making it responsible for its own affairs. For local elections the district is divided into 11 wards, 7 of them in Torquay.
Torbay Council is headed by the first directly elected mayor in the South West region, Conservative candidate Nicholas Bye
becoming the first mayor elected under this system in October 2005, under an electoral system which was later described as "a total failure", Bye receiving votes from fewer than 7% of the electorate. He beat Liberal Democrat
Nicholas Pannell in the second round of counting with a total of 7,096 votes to Pannell's 5,197. After the election, Bye noted the general apathy towards the concept displayed during the election, stating: "it is quite clear from canvassing that a lot of people did not want an elected mayor."
Torquay (along with part of Paignton) is in the Torbay parliamentary constituency
, created in 1974; previous to that, it was in its own eponymous constituency
. The constituency elects one Member of Parliament, since 1997 Adrian Sanders
of the Liberal Democrats
. Torquay, the rest of South West England, and Gibraltar are in the South West England constituency of the European Parliament.
Torquay is situated on the southwestern coast of England, forming one third of Torbay, on the western side of the bay. It has a mild microclimate
, receiving among the longest hours of sunlight per day in the United Kingdom, winters tend to be mild and wet with above average temperatures. Cabbage trees or "Torbay Palms" are a notable feature of the area, the trees were introduced into the area in 1820 from New Zealand
and since then have flourished, There are currently thousands throughout the town and they contribute significantly to the more Mediterranean than English feel the town has.
The town is made up of a number of small settlements that amalgamated into the town of Torquay. The town's historic core consists of Tormohun, Wellswood, The Warberries, Upton and Ellacombe and is based upon what was once the holdings of the Palk family. In 1900 Chelston and Livermead part of the Cockington estate owned by the Mallocks were annexed by the town and this was followed by the absorption of the former borough of Saint Marychuch. In this period Saint Marychurch covered Plainmoor, Watcombe and Babbacombe. In 1928 the Mallocks' last holdings in Cockington were integrated into the town borders. Torquay expanded throughout the century leading to the development of Shiphay, Hele Village, Barton and most recently from the 1990s until present day, The Willows giving the town its current layout.
BWellswood and the Lincombes were built up by wealthy Victorians. Influenced by their travels around the Mediterranean, they built large villas with Italianate features and towers. There are many pine trees and very many Bay Laurus nobilis bushes and trees, a variety palm trees and Phormiums. The soil type is alkaline well drained and gritty, which is ideal for Mediterranean plants and herbs.
Torquay, situated on a coastline renowned for its beaches, has nine. The high standards of water quality and beach facilities mean that many carry awards, including three European Blue Flags
– more than any other resort in the UK. The main beaches of Torquay are: Maidencombe, Watcombe, Oddicombe Beach, Babbacombe
Beach, Anstey's Cove, Redgate, Meadfoot Beach
, Torre Abbey Sands, Corbyn Sands and Institute beach
The town is the terminus of the Sticklepath Fault line, which runs through the rocks of Devon
from Barnstaple Bay to Torquay resulting in infrequent mild earthquakes, the last of which were felt in the 1990s. The fault line emerges in the cliff face which forms part of Rock Walk before going out into the bay. On the Rock Walk side is Devonian limestone
on which Warren Road and Fleet Street stand. The other side of the fault line which runs down Belgrave Road is the red sandstone
on which Torre Abbey stands, the fault can reach widths up to 500 metres in places.
Torquay has two railway stations. Torquay railway station
is situated near the sea, close to Torre Abbey Sands. Torre railway station
is situated a little inland adjacent to the road leading to Newton Abbot
. Not all trains stop at Torre.
Torquay is connected to the UK motorway network by the A380, which traces the outskirts of the town as Hellevoetsluis
Way and Hamelin
Way, leading to the A38
and the M5
at Exeter
. The A3022 branches from the A380, leading into Torquay as Riviera Way, to the seafront as Newton
Road and then Avenue Road, and then on to Paignton
as Torbay Road. The A379 runs past the harbour to Babbacombe and St Marychurch
, and then north along the coast to Teignmouth
. Two bus routes operated by Stagecoach Devon
pass through Torquay – the "Bayline" number 12 service between Newton Abbot and Brixham
, and the X46 service between Exeter and Paignton – while other routes operate within the town.
in Torquay is high at 6.8% – this compares with 3.9% for Devon, and 5.0% for England as a whole.
Many locals were employed in the Pontins holiday centre before it was sold off.
Torquay is also the home of Beverage Brands, the owners of the popular and controversial alcoholic brand, WKD
, and was the home of Suttons Seeds
until it relocated to the neighbouring town of Paignton
in 1998.
Torquay has numerous tourist attractions, including Kents Cavern, Britain's most important Stone Age
site, which was home to early man for some 700,000 years. The floor is composed of several strata, with remains indicating the prehistoric coexistence there of humans and now-extinct animals. The Rev. J. McEnery
explored the cave between 1825 and 1829 and put forth the coexistence theory. The cave was extensively explored from 1865 to 1880 by William Pengelly
, who found evidence to support McEnery's hypothesis. The caves have attracted many famous people, among them Agatha Christie
, Beatrix Potter
, King George V
and Haile Selassie who was so impressed with his visit that he gave his guide, Leslie Powe a gold sovereign. On the seafront is the beautiful Victorian Pavilion pictured above. The adjacent "Friends Fountain" complements the Victorian architecture. Both sit idyllically between the Rock Walk and the Marina.
Living Coasts
, another popular attraction, is built on Beacon Quay, which has existed since 1680. In 1857 the Bath's Saloons complex was built on the promontory overlooking Beacon Cove. This included a ballroom, concert hall and sunlit conservatory and private bathing facilities with, underneath, a large public swimming bath open to the sea. The stone arches of this public bath can still be seen today and have been incorporated into the shop at Living Coasts. Development of the site as a marine animal exhibit was first proposed in the early part of 1999 in response to a call from Torbay Council for submissions from interested parties. The project, developed by Kay Elliott architects, included an exhibit to house marine birds, rather than fish, due to the need to avoid duplicating the exhibits at the National Marine Aquarium
in Plymouth
. The project was subsequently taken on by Paignton Zoo
Environmental Park and named Living Coasts.
Other attractions are the Babbacombe Model Village
, which opened in 1963; the Princess Theatre
and a large tethered balloon offering aerial views of the town.
and Chris Bisson
among others; it was entered into the Cannes Film Festival
. A new film Snappers set in Torquay itself and shot on location, starred Caroline Quentin
, Bruce Jones and other prominent British television actors, is in pre-production and is due to be released in March 2009.
The Torquay Natural History Society was founded in 1844, and in 1845 opened Torquay Museum, the oldest museum in Devon. In addition to artifacts from Kents Cavern, other local archaeology
, information about Agatha Christie
, and a replica old farmhouse interior, the museum has galleries dedicated to such diverse topics as ancient Egypt
and world jewellery
.
The Princess Theatre, which is by the side of the harbour, is owned by Torbay Council and operated by ATG (Ambassador Theatre Group) - Previously owned by Live Nation Theatres, but in 2009, Live Nation Theatres sold their theatres onto ATG for 100 Million Pounds. It is Torquay's largest theatre with approximately 1,500 seats and plays host to touring independent production companies. The Princess Theatre also holds weddings, and other functions, to include parties, and large seminars. TOADS Theatre Company operates the Little Theatre in Meadfoot
in the converted St Mark's Church, hosting both the company's own productions and those of visiting societies. Babbacombe Theatre is located on Babbacombe Downs and describes itself as having the longest running summer season in the country, which lasts nine months.
Torbay Council, along with other local bodies, operates Creative Torbay, a website for local artists to promote their work.
, which broadcasts from studios in Exeter
, and Palm 105.5
, which has its studios in Lymington Road in Torquay. Heart Devon is owned by Global Radio
, while Palm 105.5 is owned by the London Media Company.
Torquay is also home to non-profit community radio station Riviera FM which has just completed its second RSL and is in the process of applying for a licence from Ofcom
BBC Radio Devon
is the radio station covering the whole of Devon including Torbay. Torquay is part of the ITV South West
region, which broadcasts local news and some local documentaries. BBC Spotlight provides BBC news. Both TV stations cover the whole of Devon and Cornwall.
The town's local newspaper is called the Herald Express and has been published since 1925 after a merger of two papers. Its catchment area includes towns outside the Bay itself including Newton Abbot
and Dartmouth
, and there is also a weekly free newspaper known as The Weekender. Former newspapers include the Torquay and Tor General Advertisor and Director, founded in 1839, which in 1853 became The Torquay Directory and South Devon Journal until 1949, finally becoming The South Devon Journal, which closed in 1973.
were held in Torquay, with the Olympic flame
being transferred from London
to Torre Abbey Gardens to reside throughout the event.
Outside of naval events, Torquay is represented in the English Football League by Torquay United F.C.
. The team plays their home matches at Plainmoor
and have never progressed beyond the third tier of the English leagues
. Torquay United were promoted from the Conference National
after winning the play-off final at Wembley
in June 2009. Two years earlier in 2007 they were relegated from the Football League after 80 years of membership and spent two years playing in the Conference National
; this downfall came just three years after promotion from the league's basement division
and ultimately led to a change in ownership of the club to a consortium of local businessmen and fans. Notable former managers of the club include Frank O'Farrell
who'd later go on to manage Leicester City and Manchester United, David Webb
, Cyril Knowles
, Neil Warnock
and Roy McFarland
. Notable former players include Lee Sharpe
, Neville Southall
, Garry Nelson
and Eddie Kelly
. The club won a Wembley
final in 1991, defeating Blackpool
on penalties in the Fourth Division play-off final to win promotion to the Third Division. In doing so, they became the first Football League team to win promotion on penalties.
The town also houses three major football teams from the local non-league
scene, including Hele Rovers, Kingskerswell & Chelston and Upton Athletic, all of whom compete in the South Devon League.
Torquay is represented in the sport of rugby union by Torquay Athletic Rugby Football Club, who compete in the South West Division Two rugby league, which is five leagues below the Guinness Premiership
. Rugby league team Devon Sharks
are based in Torquay. They play in the South West Division of the Rugby League Conference
.
For athletics Torre Valley North sports field is the summer training base for Torbay Athletic club and Torbay Triathlon Club. Torre Valley North has a 400m grass running track in summer, it also provides a long jump
pit and concrete shot put
circle, with a pavilion. A variety of track and field sports take place at Torre Valley North including hurdles and high jump
. In winter months the Torbay Athletic and Torbay Triathlon club uses the English Riviera Centre. The club organises the annual Torbay Half Marathon which starts in Paignton and the Torbay 10K road race from Torquay to Paignton.
Torquay also hosted the World Snooker European Open 2003 at the Palace Hotel, which was won by Ronnie O'Sullivan
, In the same year, the Palace Hotel also hosted the World Snooker Championship Qualifiers
. Recently the resort has become popular among the powerboating
community and has held various national championships in various classes over the past few years.
The largest congregations are those of St Matthias (Anglican) and Upon Vale Baptist
church. Central Church (United Reformed Church
) has a notable pierced screen wall facade.
confirmed Torquay's reputation as a retirement town, with 26% of the population of 63,998 over sixty years old, compared to a figure of 21% for England
as a whole. Those under twenty years old accounted for 23% of the population, compared to a figure of 25% for the whole of England.
The following statistics are for the whole of Torbay
, including Paignton
and Brixham
.
A number of sketches for the Monty Python's Flying Circus
television show (1969–73) were filmed on location in and around both Torquay and neighbouring Paignton
. It was while staying in Torquay at the Gleneagles Hotel with the Python team in 1971, that John Cleese
found inspiration (and the setting although not the actual filming) for the popular sitcom Fawlty Towers
(1975,1979). Incidents during the Pythons' stay are said to include the owner, Donald Sinclair
, having thrown Eric Idle
's suitcase out of the window thinking it was a bomb. Cleese later described the eccentric owner as, "the most wonderfully rude man I have ever met", although Mr. Sinclair's widow has since said her husband was totally misrepresented in the comedy.
In the 1970s several episodes of the comedy series The Goodies
were filmed in and around Torquay.
In 1979 the town was again the site of filming, when the Ray Winstone
, BAFTA nominated drama That Summer
was both set in and filmed around the town.
In addition to its association with the Pythons, Torquay is also the setting for the 2003 movie Blackball
starring Paul Kaye
and Vince Vaughn
. The movie is about Cliff Starkey who is the Bad Boy of Lawn Bowls.
Torquay is also the home of the co-presenter of popular Sky Sports
One program Soccer AM
Helen Chamberlain
. Los Angeles
radio personality Richard Blade
is originally from Torquay.
In October 2010, it was reported that Bristol
-based artist Banksy
had painted a mural on the wall of the Grosvenor Hotel in Belgrave Road. The mural shows a child drawing a robot, and uses the vent of an extractor fan as the head of the robot.
Council which has its town hall at the top of the Torquay high street. Currently the Liberal Democrats
are the party in power, with the Conservative Party
in second place and Independent candidates, a very distant third.
From 1974 when it was created until 1997 Torbay constituency
was a safe Tory
seat, but Liberal Democrat Adrian Sanders
overturned spy writer Rupert Allason
's majority by just 12 votes in 1997, widened to 6,708 in 2001.
During the 2005 general election
, Conservative leader Michael Howard
visited the town. However, Sanders retained the seat with 40.8% of the votes (19,317, down from 23,012 in 2001). A swing of 9.7% away from the Liberal Democrats was split between the Conservatives (with a 4.9% swing), Labour - who gained a substantial increase in their vote as support for Lib Dems in 1997 and 2001 moved back and the United Kingdom Independence Party
(UKIP), whose candidate Graham Booth
improved on his deposit-losing 2001 performance with a 4.7% increase in his vote.
In 2005, a referendum
was held to appoint Torbay's first elected Mayor
. In the ensuing election in October 2005, the winning candidate was a former Liberal Parliamentary Candidate, Nicholas Bye
, who won the election as a Conservative.
In 2011 Gordon Oliver was elected as Torbays' new Mayor beating the existing Mayor Nicholas Bye. Mr Oliver finished with 12,716 votes and Mr Bye 9,631 after the two made it to the second and final round of counting.
There are five main secondary schools in the town. One is Torquay Community College, previously known as Audley Park. This school has had its troubles in the past but since 2001 has come out of Ofsted
special measures
.
The other mainstream secondary school in Torquay is Westlands School a Mathematics and Computing College
, a combined secondary college and sixth form that takes students of all variations and in 2002 moved to a new building.
Torquay's other two state secondary schools are more selective. They are Torquay Boys' Grammar School
and Torquay Grammar School for Girls
which are available only to those that pass the Eleven plus exam and the schools' own standardised test. There are also a number of private schools in the area including Stoodley Knowle School and the Abbey School.
For further education, students can either go to one of the sixth forms at the previous mentioned Westlands, St Cuthbert's Mayne or Grammar schools, or they can go to South Devon College
which is based in Long Road in Paignton on a new campus that fully opened in January 2006.
The closest university is the University of Exeter
, approximately 22 miles to the north of Torquay, with the University of Plymouth
some 33 miles to the south.
Information taken from 2010 crime figures in Torbay (up to and including 31/12/2010), available on
-run Torbay Hospital
which is situated on the main road out of Torquay and the private, non-emergency Mount Stuart on St Vincents Road.
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
of Torbay
Torbay
Torbay is an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south-west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. Part of the ceremonial county of Devon, Torbay was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998...
and ceremonial county of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, England. It lies 22 miles (35 km) south of Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
along the A380
A380 road
The A380 is a road in South West England, connecting the Torbay area to the A38, and hence to the rest of Great Britain's main road network.-Route:...
on the north of Torbay
Torbay
Torbay is an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south-west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. Part of the ceremonial county of Devon, Torbay was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998...
, 38 miles (61 km) north-east of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton
Paignton
Paignton is a coastal town in Devon in England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the unitary authority of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignton's population in the United Kingdom Census of 2001 was 48,251. It has...
on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the 2001 UK Census made it the third largest settlement in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. If the Torbay
Torbay
Torbay is an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south-west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. Part of the ceremonial county of Devon, Torbay was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998...
area, of which Torquay forms a third, were to be recognised as a city, it would rank as the 45th largest city in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with a population only slightly less than that of Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, which was granted city status in 2000. During the peak summer season the resort's population swells to around 200,000.
The town's economy was initially based upon fishing and agriculture as in the case of Brixham
Brixham
Brixham is a small fishing town and civil parish in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. Brixham is at the southern end of Torbay, across the bay from Torquay, and is a fishing port. Fishing and tourism are its major industries. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of...
across Torbay, but in the early 19th century the town began to develop into a fashionable seaside resort
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
, initially frequented by members of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
while the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
anchored in the bay and later by the crème de la crème of Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
society as the town's fame spread. Renowned for its healthful climate, the town earned the nickname of the English Riviera and favourable comparisons to Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
.
Torquay was the home of the writer Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
, who lived most of her life there. The town contains an "Agatha Christie Mile", a tour with plaques, dedicated to her life and work.
Torquay's name originates in its being the quay of the ancient village of Torre. In turn, Torre takes its name from the tor, the extensively quarried remains of which can be seen by the town's Tor Hill Road.
History
The area comprising modern Torquay has been inhabited since paleolithicPaleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
times. Hand axe
Hand axe
A hand axe is a bifacial Stone tool typical of the lower and middle Palaeolithic , and is the longest-used tool of human history.-Distribution:...
s found in Kents Cavern date to, and a maxilla
Maxilla
The maxilla is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper jaw. This is similar to the mandible , which is also a fusion of two halves at the mental symphysis. Sometimes The maxilla (plural: maxillae) is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper...
fragment known as Kents Cavern 4 may be the oldest example of a modern human in Europe, dating back to 37,000–40,000 years ago.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
soldiers are known to have visited Torquay during the period when Britain was a part of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, leaving offerings at a curious rock formation in Kent's Cavern
Kent's Cavern
Kents Cavern is a cave system in Torquay, Devon, England. It is notable for its archaeological and geological features. The caves are a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Scheduled Ancient Monument , and are open to the public.-Prehistory:The caverns and passages at the site were...
, known as "The Face". No evidence has been found of Roman settlement in the town.
The first major building in Torquay was Torre Abbey
Torre Abbey
Torre Abbey is a historic building and art gallery in Torquay, Devon, which lies in the South West of England. It was founded in 1196 as a monastery for Premonstratensian canons, and is now the best-preserved medieval monastery in Devon and Cornwall...
, a Premonstratensian
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines, or in Britain and Ireland as the White Canons , are a Catholic religious order of canons regular founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
founded in 1196. Torquay remained a minor settlement until the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, when Torbay was used as a sheltered anchorage by the Channel Fleet
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1690 to 1909.-History:The Channel Fleet dates back at least to 1690 when its role was to defend England against the French threat under the leadership of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of...
, and relatives of officers often visited Torquay. The mild climate attracted many visitors who considered the town a convalescence retreat where they could recover from illness away from the cold winters of more northerly or easterly locations. The population of Torquay grew rapidly from 838 in 1801, to 11,474 in 1851.
[File:Torquay19c.jpg|left|thumb|Torquay, 1842]]
The second phase in the expansion of Torquay began when Torre railway station
Torre railway station
Torre station is a suburban station on the Riviera Line in Torquay, Devon, England. The station is operated by First Great Western but is not staffed; except for one evening train it is only served by local services.-History:...
was opened on 18 December 1848. The improved transport connections resulted in rapid growth at the expense of nearby towns not on Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
's railways. The more central Torquay railway station
Torquay railway station
Torquay railway station is on the Riviera Line and serves the seaside resort of Torquay, Devon, England. The station is operated by First Great Western...
was opened on 2 August 1859. After the growth of the preceding decades, Torquay was granted borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
status in 1872. Previously regarded as a convalescence retreat, Torquay began to encourage healthy visitors, and 1902 saw the first advertising campaign to market Torquay to summer tourists.
Torquay Tramways
Torquay Tramways
Torquay Tramways operated electric street trams in Torquay, Devon, England, from 1907. They were initially powered by the unusual Dolter stud-contact electrification, but in 1911 was converted to more conventional overhead-line supply...
operated electric street tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s from 1907. They were initially powered by the unusual Dolter stud-contact electrification so as not to disfigure the town with overhead wires, but in 1911 was converted to more conventional overhead-line supply. The line was extended into Paignton in 1911 but the network was closed in 1934.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is a charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, as well as on selected inland waterways....
's Torquay Lifeboat Station
Torquay Lifeboat Station
Torquay Lifeboat Station was the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution search and rescue operations at Torquay, Devon in England from 1876 until 1923. A second lifeboat was kept at the harbour from 1917 until 1928.-History:...
was at the Ladies Bathing Cove from 1876 until 1923. A second lifeboat was kept at the harbour from 1917 until 1928. Torquay was regarded as a "Spa Town" after the Marine Spa was built on Beacon Hill near the harbour. Originally called the "Bath Saloons complex", it had an open air tide filled swimming bath. The four stone arches exist to this day. The complex was opened in 1853 after Beacon Hill headland was dynamited to make space for it. Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
was said to have made readings there. In the 1900s a ballroom and a new sea water filled swimming pool were built. The Marine Spa, provided various therapies such as seaweed baths, needle, doche showers, hot and cold water baths and electric shock treatment. Bands such as Ivy Benson played at Marine Spa ballroom, and the place was regularly visited by Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, military hospitals were sited in Torquay – many survivors from the Battle of Gallipoli
Battle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
recuperated in the town – and it was used as a troop staging area. In September 1915 King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
and Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
visited. After the war the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
launched an advertising campaign to attract tourists, and this helped the town grow to a major south coast resort.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Torquay was regarded as safer than the towns of South East England
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
, and played host to evacuees
Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II
Evacuation of civilians in Britain during the Second World War was designed to save the population of urban or military areas in the United Kingdom from aerial bombing of cities and military targets such as docks. Civilians, particularly children, were moved to areas thought to be less at risk....
from the London] area, the town did however suffer minor bomb damage during the war, mainly from planes dumping excess loads after participating in the Plymouth Blitz
Plymouth Blitz
The Plymouth Blitz was a series of bombing raids carried out by the Nazi German Luftwaffe on the English city of Plymouth in the Second World War. The bombings launched on numerous British cities were known as the Blitz....
. The last air raid on Torquay took place on 29 May 1944 shortly before the D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
landings in June and in the months leading up to D-Day thousands of US Army personnel arrived with the 3204th Quartermaster Service Company billet
Billet
A billet is a term for living quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. Historically, it referred to a private dwelling that was required to accept the soldier....
ed in Chelston and Cockington
Cockington
Cockington is a village in Torquay in the English county of Devon. It is a picturesque village, with old cottages within its boundaries. It is about a half a mile away from Torquay.- History :...
. During Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
more than 23,000 men of the American 4th Infantry Division departed Torquay for Utah Beach
Utah Beach
Utah Beach was the code name for the right flank, or westernmost, of the Allied landing beaches during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, as part of Operation Overlord on 6 June 1944...
.
The water sport events of the 1948 Summer Olympics
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
were held in Torquay, and the Olympic flame
Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...
brought from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Torre Abbey Gardens. Although it will not host any Olympic events for the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
, with the sailing taking place in Weymouth, Torbay is looking to host teams as a preparation camp.
After World War II several private high-rise apartment blocks were constructed above the rock walk and harbour, giving the area a Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
feel.
In 1971, after a tragedy, the Marine Spa was demolished to make way for the ill-fated Coral Island leisure complex. This was characterised by its concrete arches on its uppermost floor and sunbathing decks like those of a cruise liner. The site featured a hexagonal outdoor plunge pool, surrounded by sunbathing terraces leading down to Beacon Cove beach. Inside the building were several lounges, a restaurant and a nightclub within the arches of the ancient swimming bath. All levels were served by a hydraulic passenger lift. Coral Island opened in 1977 and closed in 1988. The complex was demolished in 1997, 20 years after its construction. The site remained derelict until 2002 when the Living Coasts Penguin park was built there.
In the late 1980s Fleet Street was rebuilt as the Fleetwalk shopping mall, which has street level shops and an upper level shopping deck. The long curved building, which follows the street, is magnolia coloured and in mock Victorian style. In the late 1990s and early 2000s new pubs and night clubs opened around the harbour, leading to an increase in binge drinking, however in recent years a better police presence and responsible drinks promotions have improved the situation.
Since World War II, the nature of tourism in the United Kingdom has changed significantly. Increasing wealth has meant that holidays abroad are now commonplace, and coastal towns are now more popular for short stays as part of a touring holiday. Recently Torquay has seen an increase in foreign visitors, and is a major destination for foreign exchange students.
Governance
Torbay
Torbay is an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south-west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. Part of the ceremonial county of Devon, Torbay was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998...
, an administrative area, created in 1968 as a Borough, from the amalgamation of the Boroughs of Torquay, Paignton
Paignton
Paignton is a coastal town in Devon in England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the unitary authority of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignton's population in the United Kingdom Census of 2001 was 48,251. It has...
and Brixham
Brixham
Brixham is a small fishing town and civil parish in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. Brixham is at the southern end of Torbay, across the bay from Torquay, and is a fishing port. Fishing and tourism are its major industries. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of...
. Historically part of the county of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, Torbay was made a unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
on 1 April 1998 making it responsible for its own affairs. For local elections the district is divided into 11 wards, 7 of them in Torquay.
Torbay Council is headed by the first directly elected mayor in the South West region, Conservative candidate Nicholas Bye
Nicholas Bye
Nicholas Bye is a former Conservative local politician in England. Bye was born in Paignton, Devon and graduated from Oxford University. He was Liberal candidate for Torbay in the 1987 election....
becoming the first mayor elected under this system in October 2005, under an electoral system which was later described as "a total failure", Bye receiving votes from fewer than 7% of the electorate. He beat Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
Nicholas Pannell in the second round of counting with a total of 7,096 votes to Pannell's 5,197. After the election, Bye noted the general apathy towards the concept displayed during the election, stating: "it is quite clear from canvassing that a lot of people did not want an elected mayor."
Torquay (along with part of Paignton) is in the Torbay parliamentary constituency
Torbay (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-Elections in the 1980s:-Notes and references:...
, created in 1974; previous to that, it was in its own eponymous constituency
Torquay (UK Parliament constituency)
Torquay was a county constituency in Devon, South West England, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
. The constituency elects one Member of Parliament, since 1997 Adrian Sanders
Adrian Sanders
Adrian Mark Sanders is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom. He is the Member of Parliament for Torbay in Devon.-Personal life:...
of the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
. Torquay, the rest of South West England, and Gibraltar are in the South West England constituency of the European Parliament.
Geography
Microclimate
A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square feet or as large as many square miles...
, receiving among the longest hours of sunlight per day in the United Kingdom, winters tend to be mild and wet with above average temperatures. Cabbage trees or "Torbay Palms" are a notable feature of the area, the trees were introduced into the area in 1820 from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and since then have flourished, There are currently thousands throughout the town and they contribute significantly to the more Mediterranean than English feel the town has.
The town is made up of a number of small settlements that amalgamated into the town of Torquay. The town's historic core consists of Tormohun, Wellswood, The Warberries, Upton and Ellacombe and is based upon what was once the holdings of the Palk family. In 1900 Chelston and Livermead part of the Cockington estate owned by the Mallocks were annexed by the town and this was followed by the absorption of the former borough of Saint Marychuch. In this period Saint Marychurch covered Plainmoor, Watcombe and Babbacombe. In 1928 the Mallocks' last holdings in Cockington were integrated into the town borders. Torquay expanded throughout the century leading to the development of Shiphay, Hele Village, Barton and most recently from the 1990s until present day, The Willows giving the town its current layout.
BWellswood and the Lincombes were built up by wealthy Victorians. Influenced by their travels around the Mediterranean, they built large villas with Italianate features and towers. There are many pine trees and very many Bay Laurus nobilis bushes and trees, a variety palm trees and Phormiums. The soil type is alkaline well drained and gritty, which is ideal for Mediterranean plants and herbs.
Torquay, situated on a coastline renowned for its beaches, has nine. The high standards of water quality and beach facilities mean that many carry awards, including three European Blue Flags
Blue Flag beach
The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education that a beach or marina meets its stringent standards.The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE which is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation consisting of 65 organisations in 60 member countries in Europe,...
– more than any other resort in the UK. The main beaches of Torquay are: Maidencombe, Watcombe, Oddicombe Beach, Babbacombe
Babbacombe
"Babbacombe" may also refer to John 'Babbacombe' LeeBabbacombe is a district of Torquay, Devon, England. It is notable for Babbacombe Model Village, and its clifftop green, Babbacombe Downs, from which Oddicombe Beach is accessed via Babbacombe Cliff Railway.There is a miniature village in the area....
Beach, Anstey's Cove, Redgate, Meadfoot Beach
Meadfoot
Meadfoot is an area of Torquay, Devon.Meadfoot beach is a mixture of rock, stone and sandy areas. At the rocky eastern end there is a cliff and a car park, which gives access to a boat launching ramp. The western end is more sandy and has facilities such as a cafe and beach huts...
, Torre Abbey Sands, Corbyn Sands and Institute beach
The town is the terminus of the Sticklepath Fault line, which runs through the rocks of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
from Barnstaple Bay to Torquay resulting in infrequent mild earthquakes, the last of which were felt in the 1990s. The fault line emerges in the cliff face which forms part of Rock Walk before going out into the bay. On the Rock Walk side is Devonian limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
on which Warren Road and Fleet Street stand. The other side of the fault line which runs down Belgrave Road is the red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
on which Torre Abbey stands, the fault can reach widths up to 500 metres in places.
Transport
Torquay railway station
Torquay railway station is on the Riviera Line and serves the seaside resort of Torquay, Devon, England. The station is operated by First Great Western...
is situated near the sea, close to Torre Abbey Sands. Torre railway station
Torre railway station
Torre station is a suburban station on the Riviera Line in Torquay, Devon, England. The station is operated by First Great Western but is not staffed; except for one evening train it is only served by local services.-History:...
is situated a little inland adjacent to the road leading to Newton Abbot
Newton Abbot
Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parish in the Teignbridge District of Devon, England on the River Teign, with a population of 23,580....
. Not all trains stop at Torre.
Torquay is connected to the UK motorway network by the A380, which traces the outskirts of the town as Hellevoetsluis
Hellevoetsluis
Hellevoetsluis is a small city and municipality on Voorne-Putten Island in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland...
Way and Hamelin
Hamelin
Hamelin is a town on the river Weser in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Hamelin-Pyrmont and has a population of 58,696 ....
Way, leading to the A38
A38 road
The A38, part of which is also known as the Devon Expressway, is a major A-class trunk road in England.The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it one of the longest A-roads in England. It was formerly known as the Leeds — Exeter Trunk Road,...
and the M5
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
at Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
. The A3022 branches from the A380, leading into Torquay as Riviera Way, to the seafront as Newton
Newton Abbot
Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parish in the Teignbridge District of Devon, England on the River Teign, with a population of 23,580....
Road and then Avenue Road, and then on to Paignton
Paignton
Paignton is a coastal town in Devon in England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the unitary authority of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignton's population in the United Kingdom Census of 2001 was 48,251. It has...
as Torbay Road. The A379 runs past the harbour to Babbacombe and St Marychurch
St Marychurch
St. Marychurch in Devon, England, is one of the oldest settlements in South Devon. Its earliest documentary record dates from around 1050 AD.It is a former English urban district, abolished in 1900 when it was incorporated into the neighbouring borough of Torquay...
, and then north along the coast to Teignmouth
Teignmouth
Teignmouth is a town and civil parish in Teignbridge in the English county of Devon, situated on the north bank of the estuary mouth of the River Teign about 14 miles south of Exeter. It has a population of 14,413. In 1690, it was the last place in England to be invaded by a foreign power...
. Two bus routes operated by Stagecoach Devon
Stagecoach Devon
Stagecoach Devon Ltd, part of the Stagecoach Group, is a bus operator serving the East Devon, Exeter and Torbay, and more recently Tiverton and Barnstaple, areas of South West England. It was formed in 1995 with the purchase of Devon General and Bayline. Its headquarters is in Exeter...
pass through Torquay – the "Bayline" number 12 service between Newton Abbot and Brixham
Brixham
Brixham is a small fishing town and civil parish in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. Brixham is at the southern end of Torbay, across the bay from Torquay, and is a fishing port. Fishing and tourism are its major industries. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of...
, and the X46 service between Exeter and Paignton – while other routes operate within the town.
Economy
UnemploymentUnemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
in Torquay is high at 6.8% – this compares with 3.9% for Devon, and 5.0% for England as a whole.
Many locals were employed in the Pontins holiday centre before it was sold off.
Torquay is also the home of Beverage Brands, the owners of the popular and controversial alcoholic brand, WKD
WKD Original Vodka
WKD Original Vodka is a brand of alcopop produced by Beverage Brands. It is sold and heavily marketed in the United Kingdom with the slogan ‘Have you got a WKD side?’ , and also in many countries in mainland Europe. AC Nielsen ranked it as the number-one UK ready-to-drink brand in 2006.-Product...
, and was the home of Suttons Seeds
Suttons Seeds
Suttons Seeds is a long established supplier of seeds, bulbs, and other horticultural products. Today based in English town of Paignton, the company supplies its products worldwide, and is part of the Vilmorin Clause & Compagnie group of companies.- History :...
until it relocated to the neighbouring town of Paignton
Paignton
Paignton is a coastal town in Devon in England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the unitary authority of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignton's population in the United Kingdom Census of 2001 was 48,251. It has...
in 1998.
Tourism
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
site, which was home to early man for some 700,000 years. The floor is composed of several strata, with remains indicating the prehistoric coexistence there of humans and now-extinct animals. The Rev. J. McEnery
John MacEnery
Father John MacEnery was a Roman Catholic priest from Limerick, Ireland and early archaeologist who came to Devon as Chaplain to the Cary family at Torre Abbey in 1822...
explored the cave between 1825 and 1829 and put forth the coexistence theory. The cave was extensively explored from 1865 to 1880 by William Pengelly
William Pengelly
William Pengelly, FRS FGS was a British geologist and early archaeologist who was one of the first to contribute proof that the Biblical chronology of the earth calculated by Archbishop James Ussher was incorrect....
, who found evidence to support McEnery's hypothesis. The caves have attracted many famous people, among them Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
, Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist best known for her imaginative children’s books featuring animals such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit which celebrated the British landscape and country life.Born into a privileged Unitarian...
, King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
and Haile Selassie who was so impressed with his visit that he gave his guide, Leslie Powe a gold sovereign. On the seafront is the beautiful Victorian Pavilion pictured above. The adjacent "Friends Fountain" complements the Victorian architecture. Both sit idyllically between the Rock Walk and the Marina.
Living Coasts
Living Coasts
Living Coasts is a coastal zoo owned by Paignton Zoo as part of the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, which includes Newquay Zoo. It is a registered charity, and is based around sea birds and other coastal wildlife...
, another popular attraction, is built on Beacon Quay, which has existed since 1680. In 1857 the Bath's Saloons complex was built on the promontory overlooking Beacon Cove. This included a ballroom, concert hall and sunlit conservatory and private bathing facilities with, underneath, a large public swimming bath open to the sea. The stone arches of this public bath can still be seen today and have been incorporated into the shop at Living Coasts. Development of the site as a marine animal exhibit was first proposed in the early part of 1999 in response to a call from Torbay Council for submissions from interested parties. The project, developed by Kay Elliott architects, included an exhibit to house marine birds, rather than fish, due to the need to avoid duplicating the exhibits at the National Marine Aquarium
National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth
The National Marine Aquarium is a marine aquarium located in the city of Plymouth, England. Built on reclaimed land, it is located in Sutton Harbour, next to the Barbican and fishmarket, and was opened in May 1998. It is the largest aquarium in the United Kingdom.The mission statement of the...
in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
. The project was subsequently taken on by Paignton Zoo
Paignton Zoo
Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, is a zoo in Paignton, Devon, England. The zoo is part of South West Environmental Parks Ltd which is owned by the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust . It is a combined zoo and botanic garden that welcomes over half a million visitors a year. WWCT also runs Living...
Environmental Park and named Living Coasts.
Other attractions are the Babbacombe Model Village
Babbacombe Model Village
Babbacombe Model Village is a miniature village and railway located in Babbacombe in Torquay, Devon, England.This outdoor model village was opened in 1963 by Tom Dobbins. Mr Dobbins had previously opened another model village at Southport in 1957. The site covers and includes over 400 models along...
, which opened in 1963; the Princess Theatre
Princess Theatre, Torquay
The Princess Theatre in Torquay, England first opened its doors on Wednesday 7 June 1961. Top of the bill on opening night were Tommy Cooper and Morecambe & Wise....
and a large tethered balloon offering aerial views of the town.
Arts
In the early years of British cinema, Torquay was home to two production companies, Cairns Torquay Films and Torquay And Paignton Photoplay Productions, who in 1920 produced a total of three films between them. Recently, Devon Films, based in Torquay, has established itself as the Bay's latest film production company. The company financed and produced Stepdad in 2007, starring Ricky TomlinsonRicky Tomlinson
Eric Tomlinson , known by his stage name Ricky Tomlinson, is an English actor and comedian, best known for his roles as Bobby Grant in Brookside, DCI Charlie Wise in Cracker and James "Jim" Royle in The Royle Family....
and Chris Bisson
Chris Bisson
Christopher Paul "Chris" Bisson is a British actor.-Career:Born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, Chris Bisson first appeared on television as J.J. in Children's Ward in 1990...
among others; it was entered into the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
. A new film Snappers set in Torquay itself and shot on location, starred Caroline Quentin
Caroline Quentin
Caroline Jones known by her stage name Caroline Quentin, is an English actress. Quentin became known for her television appearances in Men Behaving Badly, playing Dorothy, and playing Maddy Magellan in Jonathan Creek for three years.-Early life:...
, Bruce Jones and other prominent British television actors, is in pre-production and is due to be released in March 2009.
The Torquay Natural History Society was founded in 1844, and in 1845 opened Torquay Museum, the oldest museum in Devon. In addition to artifacts from Kents Cavern, other local archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, information about Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
, and a replica old farmhouse interior, the museum has galleries dedicated to such diverse topics as ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
and world jewellery
Jewellery
Jewellery or jewelry is a form of personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.With some exceptions, such as medical alert bracelets or military dog tags, jewellery normally differs from other items of personal adornment in that it has no other purpose than to...
.
The Princess Theatre, which is by the side of the harbour, is owned by Torbay Council and operated by ATG (Ambassador Theatre Group) - Previously owned by Live Nation Theatres, but in 2009, Live Nation Theatres sold their theatres onto ATG for 100 Million Pounds. It is Torquay's largest theatre with approximately 1,500 seats and plays host to touring independent production companies. The Princess Theatre also holds weddings, and other functions, to include parties, and large seminars. TOADS Theatre Company operates the Little Theatre in Meadfoot
Meadfoot
Meadfoot is an area of Torquay, Devon.Meadfoot beach is a mixture of rock, stone and sandy areas. At the rocky eastern end there is a cliff and a car park, which gives access to a boat launching ramp. The western end is more sandy and has facilities such as a cafe and beach huts...
in the converted St Mark's Church, hosting both the company's own productions and those of visiting societies. Babbacombe Theatre is located on Babbacombe Downs and describes itself as having the longest running summer season in the country, which lasts nine months.
Torbay Council, along with other local bodies, operates Creative Torbay, a website for local artists to promote their work.
Media
Torquay has two commercial local radio stations: Heart DevonHeart Devon
Heart Devon is a Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Devon. The station began broadcasting on Friday 27 August 2010 as a result of a merger between Heart Exeter and Heart Torbay , Heart Plymouth , Heart North Devon and Heart South Devon .-History:The regional station...
, which broadcasts from studios in Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
, and Palm 105.5
Palm 105.5
Palm 105.5 is a Independent Local Radio station based in Torquay, in Devon.Palm FM was awarded the local commercial radio licence for Torbay in September 2005, and began broadcasting in May 2006...
, which has its studios in Lymington Road in Torquay. Heart Devon is owned by Global Radio
Global Radio
Global Radio UK Ltd. is a British commercial radio company, the largest in the country following acquisitions of Chrysalis Radio and GCap Media.The company's Chief Executive Officer is Stephen Miron, while the Group Chairman is Charles Allen...
, while Palm 105.5 is owned by the London Media Company.
Torquay is also home to non-profit community radio station Riviera FM which has just completed its second RSL and is in the process of applying for a licence from Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
BBC Radio Devon
BBC Radio Devon
BBC Radio Devon is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Devon. It began transmissions on 17 January 1983, replacing a previous breakfast show for Devon and Cornwall broadcast on the local frequencies of Radio 4....
is the radio station covering the whole of Devon including Torbay. Torquay is part of the ITV South West
ITV South West
ITV West & Westcountry, also known as ITV South West, is a non-franchise ITV regional station covering the South West of England and incorporating the former ITV West and ITV Westcountry regions.-History:...
region, which broadcasts local news and some local documentaries. BBC Spotlight provides BBC news. Both TV stations cover the whole of Devon and Cornwall.
The town's local newspaper is called the Herald Express and has been published since 1925 after a merger of two papers. Its catchment area includes towns outside the Bay itself including Newton Abbot
Newton Abbot
Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parish in the Teignbridge District of Devon, England on the River Teign, with a population of 23,580....
and Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...
, and there is also a weekly free newspaper known as The Weekender. Former newspapers include the Torquay and Tor General Advertisor and Director, founded in 1839, which in 1853 became The Torquay Directory and South Devon Journal until 1949, finally becoming The South Devon Journal, which closed in 1973.
Sport
Torquay has a long history of holding sailing events and regattas due to the favourable easterly facing nature of the bay and its popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries; this tradition reached its height in 1948 when the water sport events of the 1948 Summer Olympics1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
were held in Torquay, with the Olympic flame
Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...
being transferred from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Torre Abbey Gardens to reside throughout the event.
Outside of naval events, Torquay is represented in the English Football League by Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
. The team plays their home matches at Plainmoor
Plainmoor
Plainmoor is a suburb of Torquay, Devon, but is best known as the name of the stadium in which Torquay United Football Club currently play.-History:...
and have never progressed beyond the third tier of the English leagues
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
. Torquay United were promoted from the Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
after winning the play-off final at Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
in June 2009. Two years earlier in 2007 they were relegated from the Football League after 80 years of membership and spent two years playing in the Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
; this downfall came just three years after promotion from the league's basement division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
and ultimately led to a change in ownership of the club to a consortium of local businessmen and fans. Notable former managers of the club include Frank O'Farrell
Frank O'Farrell
Francis 'Frank' O'Farrell is an Irish former football player and manager.-Early:Frank O'Farrell started his playing career with Cork United, but followed his former Cork teammate, Tommy Moroney to West Ham United in January 1948. A quietly spoken, but nonetheless determined and talented wing-half,...
who'd later go on to manage Leicester City and Manchester United, David Webb
David Webb
David Webb may refer to:*David Webb , English football player and manager*David Michael Webb , Hong Kong corporate and economic governance activist...
, Cyril Knowles
Cyril Knowles
Cyril Barry Knowles was a footballer who played full-back for Tottenham Hotspur and England. He was the brother of fellow professional footballer Peter Knowles.- Early career :...
, Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock is an English former footballer who is currently manager of English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers....
and Roy McFarland
Roy McFarland
Roy Leslie McFarland is an English football manager who was also a player, notably at Derby County where he played 434 league games helping him to earn 28 caps for England.-Playing career:...
. Notable former players include Lee Sharpe
Lee Sharpe
Lee Stuart Sharpe is an English former footballer. Predominantly a left winger, Sharpe joined Manchester United from Torquay United as a youngster in 1988, playing for the club up until 1996...
, Neville Southall
Neville Southall
Neville Southall MBE is a former Wales international footballer, best known for his time with Everton. He has been described as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation and won the FWA Footballer of the Year award in 1985...
, Garry Nelson
Garry Nelson
Garry Paul Nelson is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Southend United, Swindon Town, Plymouth Argyle, Brighton & Hove Albion, Charlton Athletic and Torquay United between 1979 and 1997. He played as a striker or on the left wing...
and Eddie Kelly
Eddie Kelly
Edward Patrick "Eddie" Kelly is a Scottish former football player.Kelly played for local side Possilpark, before moving south to join English club Arsenal as an apprentice in July 1966; he turned professional 18 months later...
. The club won a Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
final in 1991, defeating Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
on penalties in the Fourth Division play-off final to win promotion to the Third Division. In doing so, they became the first Football League team to win promotion on penalties.
The town also houses three major football teams from the local non-league
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
scene, including Hele Rovers, Kingskerswell & Chelston and Upton Athletic, all of whom compete in the South Devon League.
Torquay is represented in the sport of rugby union by Torquay Athletic Rugby Football Club, who compete in the South West Division Two rugby league, which is five leagues below the Guinness Premiership
Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...
. Rugby league team Devon Sharks
Devon Sharks
Devon Sharks are a rugby league team based in Torquay, Devon. They play in the South West Division of the Rugby League Conference.-History:Devon Sharks were formed in 2006 out of Newton Abbot RFC as part of an initiative from the Rugby Football League to form new clubs for the Rugby League...
are based in Torquay. They play in the South West Division of the Rugby League Conference
Rugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
.
For athletics Torre Valley North sports field is the summer training base for Torbay Athletic club and Torbay Triathlon Club. Torre Valley North has a 400m grass running track in summer, it also provides a long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
pit and concrete shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
circle, with a pavilion. A variety of track and field sports take place at Torre Valley North including hurdles and high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
. In winter months the Torbay Athletic and Torbay Triathlon club uses the English Riviera Centre. The club organises the annual Torbay Half Marathon which starts in Paignton and the Torbay 10K road race from Torquay to Paignton.
Torquay also hosted the World Snooker European Open 2003 at the Palace Hotel, which was won by Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronnie O'Sullivan
Ronald Antonio "Ronnie" O'Sullivan , is an English professional snooker player known for his rapid playing style and nicknamed "The Rocket". He has been World Champion on three occasions , and is second on the all-time prize-money list, with career earnings of over £6 million, behind only Stephen...
, In the same year, the Palace Hotel also hosted the World Snooker Championship Qualifiers
World Snooker Championship
The World Snooker Championship is the leading professional snooker tournament in terms of both prize money and ranking points. The first championship was held in 1927; since 1977, it has been played at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England...
. Recently the resort has become popular among the powerboating
Powerboating
Power boating describes activities performed in a motorized boat. Generally, a power boat has a high power-to-weight ratio and a hull design that allows for easy planing, which allows for higher speed and improved handling. Also, the shape of the actual boat is usually very streamlined, which...
community and has held various national championships in various classes over the past few years.
Religion
Torquay has about 60 churches from a wide variety of Christian denominations. There is also an Islamic Centre and mosque. A United Hebrew Congregation synagogue was closed in 2000 and the congregation dissolved.The largest congregations are those of St Matthias (Anglican) and Upon Vale Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church. Central Church (United Reformed Church
United Reformed Church
The United Reformed Church is a Christian church in the United Kingdom. It has approximately 68,000 members in 1,500 congregations with some 700 ministers.-Origins and history:...
) has a notable pierced screen wall facade.
Demographics
The 2001 censusUnited Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
confirmed Torquay's reputation as a retirement town, with 26% of the population of 63,998 over sixty years old, compared to a figure of 21% for England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as a whole. Those under twenty years old accounted for 23% of the population, compared to a figure of 25% for the whole of England.
The following statistics are for the whole of Torbay
Torbay
Torbay is an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south-west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. Part of the ceremonial county of Devon, Torbay was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998...
, including Paignton
Paignton
Paignton is a coastal town in Devon in England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the unitary authority of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignton's population in the United Kingdom Census of 2001 was 48,251. It has...
and Brixham
Brixham
Brixham is a small fishing town and civil parish in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. Brixham is at the southern end of Torbay, across the bay from Torquay, and is a fishing port. Fishing and tourism are its major industries. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of...
.
| Marital status | Number of people |
|---|---|
| Single (never married) | 26,880 |
| Married or re-married | 53,327 |
| Separated or divorced | 14,273 |
| Widowed | 11,905 |
| Religion | Number of people |
|---|---|
| Christian | 98,820 |
| Buddhist | 196 |
| Hindu | 66 |
| Jewish | 159 |
| Muslim | 341 |
| Sikh | 50 |
| Other | 476 |
| No religion | 19,345 |
| Religion not stated | 10,253 |
Torquay in English culture
| Notable people born in Torquay | |
|---|---|
| 1821 | Richard Burton Richard Francis Burton Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton KCMG FRGS was a British geographer, explorer, translator, writer, soldier, orientalist, cartographer, ethnologist, spy, linguist, poet, fencer and diplomat. He was known for his travels and explorations within Asia, Africa and the Americas as well as his... , explorer and linguist |
| 1867 | Percy Fawcett Percy Fawcett Lt. Colonel Percival Harrison Fawcett was a British artillery officer, archaeologist and South American explorer.... , archaeologist and explorer |
| 1890 | Agatha Christie Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to... , best-selling crime novelist |
| 1937 | Peter Cook Peter Cook Peter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's... , writer and comedian |
| 1947 | Martin Turner, Wishbone Ash Wishbone Ash Wishbone Ash are a British rock band who achieved success in the early and mid-1970s. Their popular records included Wishbone Ash , Argus , There's the Rub , and New England... founder |
| 1949 | Roger Deakins Roger Deakins Roger Antony Deakins, ASC, BSC is an English cinematographer best known for his work on the films of the Coen brothers. Deakins is a member of both the American and British Society of Cinematographers... , cinematographer |
| 1972 | Miranda Hart Miranda Hart Miranda Katharine Hart Dyke , known professionally as Miranda Hart, is an English actress, writer and stand-up comedienne. She writes and stars in the BBC sitcom Miranda... , actress and comedienne |
| 1980 | Layla Jade, erotic actress |
| 1983 | Lauren Pope Lauren Pope Lauren "Popey" Pope is an English glamour model, disc jockey, music producer and entrepreneur. She appears in the ITV2 show The Only Way Is Essex.... , DJ, model and entrepreneur. |
| 1988 | Lily Cole Lily Cole Lily Luahana Cole is an English model and actress. Cole's modelling career was launched by a chance encounter with Benjamin Hart in Soho, London when she was 14.... , model and actress |
A number of sketches for the Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
television show (1969–73) were filmed on location in and around both Torquay and neighbouring Paignton
Paignton
Paignton is a coastal town in Devon in England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the unitary authority of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignton's population in the United Kingdom Census of 2001 was 48,251. It has...
. It was while staying in Torquay at the Gleneagles Hotel with the Python team in 1971, that John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
found inspiration (and the setting although not the actual filming) for the popular sitcom Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom produced by BBC Television and first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975. Twelve television program episodes were produced . The show was written by John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth, both of whom played major characters...
(1975,1979). Incidents during the Pythons' stay are said to include the owner, Donald Sinclair
Donald Sinclair (hotel owner)
Donald Sinclair was the owner of the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, which he had acquired after an extensive career in the Royal Navy...
, having thrown Eric Idle
Eric Idle
Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer, and comedic composer. He was as a member of the British comedy group Monty Python, a member of the The Rutles on Saturday Night Live and author of the play, Spamalot....
's suitcase out of the window thinking it was a bomb. Cleese later described the eccentric owner as, "the most wonderfully rude man I have ever met", although Mr. Sinclair's widow has since said her husband was totally misrepresented in the comedy.
In the 1970s several episodes of the comedy series The Goodies
The Goodies
The Goodies are a trio of British comedians who created, wrote, and starred in a surreal British television comedy series called The Goodies during the 1970s and early 1980s combining sketches and situation comedy.-Honours:All three Goodies now have OBEs...
were filmed in and around Torquay.
In 1979 the town was again the site of filming, when the Ray Winstone
Ray Winstone
Raymond Andrew "Ray" Winstone is an English film and television actor. He is mostly known for his "tough guy" roles, beginning with that of Carlin in the 1979 film Scum and as Will Scarlet in the cult television adventure series Robin of Sherwood. He has also become well known as a voice over...
, BAFTA nominated drama That Summer
That Summer
That Summer is Sarah Dessen's first novel, published in 1996. The movie How to Deal is based on this novel as well as another one of Dessen's novels, Someone Like You....
was both set in and filmed around the town.
In addition to its association with the Pythons, Torquay is also the setting for the 2003 movie Blackball
Blackball (film)
Blackball is a 2003 British comedy sports film, borrowed from the Australian film, Crackerjack about Cliff Starkey , a fictional rebellious young bowls player. His dream is to play for his country, but always preferred to play by his own rules, much to the disapproval of the local bowls club...
starring Paul Kaye
Paul Kaye
Paul Kaye is an English comedian and actor. He achieved notoriety in 1995 portraying the character of Dennis Pennis, a shock interviewer on The Sunday Show...
and Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
. The movie is about Cliff Starkey who is the Bad Boy of Lawn Bowls.
Torquay is also the home of the co-presenter of popular Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
One program Soccer AM
Soccer AM
Soccer AM is a British Saturday-morning football-based comedy/talk show, predominantly based around the Premier League...
Helen Chamberlain
Helen Chamberlain
Helen Marie Chamberlain is an English television presenter.She previously worked as a holiday camp entertainer and Disc Jockey before working on a variety of radio and television programmes...
. Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
radio personality Richard Blade
Richard Blade
Richard Blade is a popular Los Angeles radio, television, and film personality from Torquay, England. He is best known for his radio programs that feature New Wave and Popular music from the 1980s...
is originally from Torquay.
In October 2010, it was reported that Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
-based artist Banksy
Banksy
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique...
had painted a mural on the wall of the Grosvenor Hotel in Belgrave Road. The mural shows a child drawing a robot, and uses the vent of an extractor fan as the head of the robot.
Politics
Torquay, as one of the three main towns of Torbay, is run by TorbayTorbay
Torbay is an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south-west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. Part of the ceremonial county of Devon, Torbay was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998...
Council which has its town hall at the top of the Torquay high street. Currently the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
are the party in power, with the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
in second place and Independent candidates, a very distant third.
From 1974 when it was created until 1997 Torbay constituency
Torbay (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-Elections in the 1980s:-Notes and references:...
was a safe Tory
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
seat, but Liberal Democrat Adrian Sanders
Adrian Sanders
Adrian Mark Sanders is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom. He is the Member of Parliament for Torbay in Devon.-Personal life:...
overturned spy writer Rupert Allason
Rupert Allason
Rupert William Simon Allason is a military historian and former Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was the Member of Parliament for Torbay in Devon, from 1987 to 1997...
's majority by just 12 votes in 1997, widened to 6,708 in 2001.
During the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, Conservative leader Michael Howard
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
visited the town. However, Sanders retained the seat with 40.8% of the votes (19,317, down from 23,012 in 2001). A swing of 9.7% away from the Liberal Democrats was split between the Conservatives (with a 4.9% swing), Labour - who gained a substantial increase in their vote as support for Lib Dems in 1997 and 2001 moved back and the United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
(UKIP), whose candidate Graham Booth
Graham Booth
Graham H. Booth is an English politician, and was a Member of the European Parliament for South West England between 2002 and 2008. He is a member of the United Kingdom Independence Party...
improved on his deposit-losing 2001 performance with a 4.7% increase in his vote.
In 2005, a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
was held to appoint Torbay's first elected Mayor
Elected mayors in the United Kingdom
Directly elected mayors are council leaders elected by the general electorate of a council area for local government, instead of being appointed by members of a local authority, which is common in the United Kingdom. The Elected Mayor is elected from a number of candidates who put themselves up for...
. In the ensuing election in October 2005, the winning candidate was a former Liberal Parliamentary Candidate, Nicholas Bye
Nicholas Bye
Nicholas Bye is a former Conservative local politician in England. Bye was born in Paignton, Devon and graduated from Oxford University. He was Liberal candidate for Torbay in the 1987 election....
, who won the election as a Conservative.
In 2011 Gordon Oliver was elected as Torbays' new Mayor beating the existing Mayor Nicholas Bye. Mr Oliver finished with 12,716 votes and Mr Bye 9,631 after the two made it to the second and final round of counting.
Education
Torquay has a number of primary schools, including St Margarets Primary School in St. Marychurch which has around 329 pupils and is situated on a large site of over 1800 square metres which was formerly a farm.There are five main secondary schools in the town. One is Torquay Community College, previously known as Audley Park. This school has had its troubles in the past but since 2001 has come out of Ofsted
Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills is the non-ministerial government department of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools In England ....
special measures
Special measures
Special measures is a status applied by Ofsted and Estyn, the schools inspection agencies, to schools in England and Wales, respectively, when it considers that they fail to supply an acceptable level of education and appear to lack the leadership capacity necessary to secure improvements...
.
The other mainstream secondary school in Torquay is Westlands School a Mathematics and Computing College
Westlands School
Westlands School is a secondary school in the Devon town of Torquay, England. Established in 1973, the school has since become a co-educational bilateral school, for children aged between 11 and 18. The school is located in the Plainmoor district of Torquay, with most students living in the...
, a combined secondary college and sixth form that takes students of all variations and in 2002 moved to a new building.
Torquay's other two state secondary schools are more selective. They are Torquay Boys' Grammar School
Torquay Boys' Grammar School
Torquay Boys' Grammar School is a selective boys grammar school in Torquay, Devon, England.-Admissions:, it has approximately 1,058 students. The school was founded in 1904 and celebrated its centenary in 2004...
and Torquay Grammar School for Girls
Torquay Grammar School for Girls
Torquay Girls' Grammar School is a selective grammar school for girls aged 11–18, in Torquay, Devon, England. It became one of the first schools to achieve Humanities Specialist School status in September 2004, and is one of the first to offer the AQA Baccalaureate.-History:The school, which was...
which are available only to those that pass the Eleven plus exam and the schools' own standardised test. There are also a number of private schools in the area including Stoodley Knowle School and the Abbey School.
For further education, students can either go to one of the sixth forms at the previous mentioned Westlands, St Cuthbert's Mayne or Grammar schools, or they can go to South Devon College
South Devon College
South Devon College is a large sized further education college providing a range of learning opportunities for the diverse communities within Torbay and the surrounding area...
which is based in Long Road in Paignton on a new campus that fully opened in January 2006.
The closest university is the University of Exeter
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a public university in South West England. It belongs to the 1994 Group, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom's smaller research-intensive universities....
, approximately 22 miles to the north of Torquay, with the University of Plymouth
University of Plymouth
Plymouth University is the largest university in the South West of England, with over 30,000 students and is 9th largest in the United Kingdom by total number of students . It has almost 3,000 staff...
some 33 miles to the south.
Crime
| Offences | Total | Rate per 1,000 population | Average rate per 1,000 population in England & Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violence Against The Person With injury | 1125 | ||
| Violence Against A Person Without Injury | 1005 | ||
| Sexual Offences | 167 | ||
| Robbery Offences | 60 | ||
| Burglary in A Dwelling | 385 | ||
| Burglary In A Building Other Than A Dwelling | 496 | ||
| Offenses Against A Vehicle | 834 | ||
| Drug Offenses | 638 | ||
| Fraud And Forgery | 234 | ||
| Criminal Damage | 2090 | ||
| Other Theft Offenses | 2277 | ||
| Other Offenses | 138 | ||
Information taken from 2010 crime figures in Torbay (up to and including 31/12/2010), available on
homeoffice.gov.uk.Healthcare
Torquay's healthcare needs are seen to by NHSNational Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
-run Torbay Hospital
Torbay Hospital
Torbay Hospital is South Devon's main hospital. It is run by the South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.-External links:*...
which is situated on the main road out of Torquay and the private, non-emergency Mount Stuart on St Vincents Road.